New Anishinaabemowin program inspires language learners

By Kirk Titmuss

NIPISSING FIRST NATION—Learning “the way of” Anishinaabemowin got a major boost at the Anishinabek Nation Head Office in Nipissing First Nation on Nov. 1, with the first of several classes conducted by instructor Ninaatig Staats Pangowish, of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory and owner of Ninaatigoon’s Learning.

Pangowish holds a PhD in Education and has taught at the community, elementary, and post-secondary levels for the past five years. The Toronto-based instructor started his company in 2019 providing immersive Anishinaabemowin language workshops. This fall, he launched Biidwewdamowaad Nimkiig Biidaabang, an online program focusing on young adults’ ability to speak and teach the language.

Staats Pangowish says he is committed to the revitalization of Anishinaabemowin in his own home and helping others achieve their goal of speaking Anishinaabemowin. He says most classes take place on Zoom, allowing students from different communities to join in.

“We’re mainly an online school. So, students meet 24 hours a week learning language, whether it’s grammar, or we have classes where it’s just speaking, conversation class, listening class, a reading class. So, for four times this year, we’re going to meet up here at Anishinabek Nation headquarters to do the in-person portions. This one is what we call a learning weekend. So, the expectation’s not immersion, but there’s lots of language, lots of opportunity for students use and try language because our expectation of immersion is no English.”

He connected with the Anishinabek Nation Anishinaabemowin Manager Ali Darnay to share this opportunity. She says the program includes four weekend immersion workshops – spread out over the year – teaching the language to new learners who aspire to become Anishinaabemowin instructors in the future. The Anishinaabemowin Department has offered in-kind meeting space for two weekends.

“There are learners in the program from our communities, including our staff, so we’ve got staff participating in the Monday morning conversation class. When he (Staats Pangowish) launched this program, he created three streams: one focusing on those who want to be speakers and teachers, a second stream for those who want to be speakers, and the third stream was a corporate stream to support businesses that are interested in professional development, Anishinaabemowin training opportunities for their staff”.

The Anishinaabemowin Department secured support from the Labour Market Development Department for the Anishinaabemowin Promotion Project. Several staff at the Anishinabek Nation are partaking in three-hour classes on Mondays along with the full-time program participants. They will also participate in a two-day Online Intensive Anishinaabemowin course and a two-day in-person Anishinaabemowin learning workshop. Staats Pangowish says full-time students are being gradually built up for total immersion classes scheduled for a return visit in December.

He’s aware of other Anishinaabemowin training going on; however, feels that there is “a gap” between the beginners to the intermediate level where students could do immersion and a “huge gap” in the number of proficient Anishinaabemowin teachers. He says teaching the language was his vision, one he has pursued for over a decade. He says he teaches using an engaging approach.

“I was an elementary teacher for four years teaching Ojibwe. I can bring fun to the classroom, and I hope this program, like, I can give these new speakers the tools to speak but also to bring fun into the classroom to make learning Anishinaabemowin a lot easier.”

The weekend program, which got underway on Nov. 29, provides more than just classroom language learning. Darnay says it features an activity-packed, two-and-half-day agenda that runs until mid-Sunday.

“We started off with Sunrise Ceremony, then we did a circle, did an activity as a large group, and then we break out into classrooms and then later on this evening, we’re actually going to be doing a sweat together. So, we’re going to the Minadoodiswan up in Garden Village (Nipissing First Nation) to ceremony together.  So, I think it’s a really amazing opportunity to experience many things related to Anishinaabemowin, language and ceremony and culture.”